Prostaglandin E and F concentration in the fimbria of the rabbit fallopian tube increases at the time of ovulation

To see if the fimbrial concentrations of Prostaglandin E (PGE) and Prostaglandin F (PGF) change in the process of ovulation, these prostaglandins were measured in the fimbriae of one group of 18 doe rabbits using the specific radioimmunoassay; 13 rabbits were bred so as to induce ovulation and 5 rabbits were not bred. The PGE and PGF in the fimbriae of the 13 bred rabbits were 105.4 +/- 18.5 pg/mg of protein and 186 +/- 26.9 pg/mg protein, respectively. In the 5 control unbred animals, the fimbrial PGE and PGF concentrations were 39.6 +/- 5.9 pg/mg protein and 111 +/- 14.7 pg/mg protein, respectively (p less than 0.05). In an additional group of 8 rabbits (2 before ovulation and 6 after ovulation), it was found that the rise in the PGE and PGF concentration association with ovulation was maximal in fimbriae harvested immediately before ovulation (8 hours-8 hours 30 postcoitally) (p less than 0.001). These findings are consistent with the hypothesis that fimbrial PGE and PGF play a role in the process of ovum retrieval in the rabbit.